So our poll based on the 12 Modern Philosophers book is now complete, and with nearly 900 votes, here are the results:
| 1. John Rawls (Condorcet winner: wins contests with all other choices) |
| 2. W.V.O. Quine loses to John Rawls by 526–304 |
| 3. Saul Kripke loses to John Rawls by 522–300, loses to W.V.O. Quine by 428–383 |
| 4. Others Not in the Book Are More Likely to be Widely Read loses to John Rawls by 551–260, loses to Saul Kripke by 487–308 |
| 5. Donald Davidson loses to John Rawls by 637–176, loses to Others Not in the Book Are More Likely to be Widely Read by 398–374 |
| 6. Derek Parfit loses to John Rawls by 681–115, loses to Donald Davidson by 493–259 |
| 7. Peter Singer loses to John Rawls by 720–97, loses to Derek Parfit by 381–346 |
| 8. Robert Nozick loses to John Rawls by 743–73, loses to Peter Singer by 389–358 |
| 9. Bernard Williams loses to John Rawls by 712–93, loses to Robert Nozick by 372–366 |
| 10. Thomas Nagel loses to John Rawls by 746–78, loses to Bernard Williams by 373–343 |
| 11. Jerry Fodor loses to John Rawls by 715–87, loses to Thomas Nagel by 376–331 |
| 12. John McDowell loses to John Rawls by 704–94, loses to Jerry Fodor by 371–314 |
| 13. Richard Rorty loses to John Rawls by 731–87, loses to John McDowell by 351–344 |
Pretty plausible results, in my view, though I think philosophers may underestimate Rorty's staying power--to be sure, he was not a significant innovator in philosophy, but he will benefit over the long haul from the resonance of his work in other humanities disciplines. The top three strike me as right, I'm highly skeptical that Davidson will fare well over the long haul, but I'm most curious whom readers think would come in at #4, as it were. My guess is many respondents were thinking of David Lewis, but I'll let readers have their say, as well as comment on the overall list. Signed comments means signed comments: full name in the signature line, and valid e-mail address.
